[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/469px-MM_Art.jpg]][[caption-width-right:350:Saving the world, three days at a time. [[labelnote: Note]]From top to bottom, left to right: Skull Kid, Goron Link, Hylian Link, Deku Link, Zora Link, and Epona.[[/labelnote]] ]]->'''Dawn of the First Day'''\\[[JustBeforeTheEnd - 72 Hours Remain -]]

'''''Majora's Mask''''', the sixth game in ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series, is a followup to ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'', both in story and gameplay. The development team re-used the engine and models from ''Ocarina Of Time'', thus greatly reducing the development time to a year.

Following the end of ''Ocarina of Time'', Link has embarked on a personal quest to be reunited with a lost friend. Wandering through a mysterious forest on his trusty horse Epona, he is suddenly mugged by a masked Skull Kid and his two fairy companions, who steal Epona and the Ocarina of Time before fleeing. Link chases after them, but falls down [[DownTheRabbitHole a rabbit hole of sorts]] and is transformed into a Deku Scrub by the mischievous Skull Kid.

Coming to his senses, Link discovers that he has fallen into the parallel world of Termina, which is eagerly preparing for the annual Carnival of Time. Unfortunately, a sinister omen hangs in the sky: the Skull Kid has taken control of the moon and [[ColonyDrop intends to crash it into Termina]] within three days, wiping out everyone and everything.

After regaining his Ocarina and true form, Link sets out on a quest to SaveTheWorld by travelling to the four corners of Termina and awakening its slumbering guardians. Not only can Link gather and wear different masks to transform into new forms with their own unique abilities, but he can use the Ocarina of Time to travel back in time to the beginning of his quest, giving him additional time to unravel the plot of the Skull Kid.

Having only four dungeons, ''Majora's Mask'' places great emphasis on sidequests. There are many people in need of help throughout the land of Termina within the three days leading up to its destruction, and by exploiting the GroundhogDayLoop Link can help all of them (albeit temporarily) to acquire Pieces of Heart, new Masks, and other rewards. These include [[MatchMakerQuest helping a young couple to reunite]] and defending a farm from [[AliensStealCattle cow-stealing UFOs.]]

Following on the success of its predecessor's 3D remake, this game also received a remake for the {{Nintendo 3DS}}, also developed by Grezzo.----!This videogame provides examples of:* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: The Bombers' hideout is located in Clock Town's sewer system.* AdultFear: Lots of the [=NPCs=] are dealing with very adult issues, and Link gets to see both sides of these things from different [=NPCs=]. A father is grieving for the loss of a son who is missing and presumed dead,[[note]]the Deku Butler[[/note]] a man is about to die and laments that he will never be able to see his children born,[[note]]Mikau[[/note]] a child is about to lose her father to an illness,[[note]]Pamela[[/note]] one man can't show his face to his fiancée because he broke a promise,[[note]]Kafei[[/note]] a woman about to be wed fears that her fiancé left because he no longer loves her,[[note]]Anju[[/note]] while a woman can't work and can barely function because of her lover's disappearance and the deteriorating health of her children (and there is ''nothing she can do about it'');[[note]]Lulu[[/note]] a woman is very concerned on the safety of her young sister, to the point that she doesn't want her know that Termina might face an apocalypse;[[note]]Cremia[[/note]] guards are torn between doing their job and fleeing for their lives,[[note]]Everyone working in Clock Town[[/note]], and undead soldiers obey orders for a war that ended centuries ago[[note]]Igos Du Ikana and his countrymen[[/note]].* AerithAndBob: The members of the Indigo-Go's are named Mikau, Japas, Tijo, Toto... and Evan and Lulu.* AliensStealCattle: One {{Sidequest}} involves Link stopping [[FanNickname Them]] from stealing the ranch's cows. If he fails, the ranch owner's little sister gets abducted as well. Don't worry, she'll be back there the next day, [[NotHerself albeit mentally affected]].* AllThereInTheManual: The in-game text never refers to Termina as a parallel world, but it's mentioned repeatedly in the manual.* AlternateUniverse: Termina. You can see doubles of most people from ''Ocarina'' walking around, and the technological level is much higher.* AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield: The arena for the final battle.* AnimalsHateHim:** Dogs instinctively attack Link in his Deku form and knock him around, which can be annoying when you're just minding your own business, looking around, trying to solve some puzzle or whatever. At least the attack doesn't do any damage. ** At the other extreme, dogs are audibly terrified of Link in his Goron form. And they ''love'' his Zora form and will follow him around whining.* AnotherDimension: Termina, to Hyrule.* AntagonistTitle: The eponymous Majora's Mask as used by the Skull Kid.* AntiFrustrationFeatures: ** Many of the masks are this, such as the Stone Mask which makes a certain stealth section a cakewalk, and the Bunny Hood which allows Link to move at double speed.** Beating a dungeon boss and claiming their masks will allow you warp to the boss room and fight them again if you go back in time and revisit the dungeons. This was done to ease the pain of getting to the bosses for a rematch if you need to trigger specific events that only occur when a boss is defeated.** The 3DS remake adds more, such as more save spots, adjusted warp locations, putting the bank next to the Clock Tower owl, and so on. The biggest additions however are the Sheikah Stone in the Clock Tower which gives hints about where to find heart containers and how to continue the plot, as well as the upgraded Bomber's Notebook which automatically gives you updates on challenges. Removing the SuspendSave in favor of proper save points, as well as the addition of extra statues, makes the game a lot less of a marathon. Furthermore, in the 3D version, you only have to encounter the bosses to unlock the teleport plates. Also on the 3DS, you can decide how far ahead you want to skip with Song of Double Time. An exact time is given for the clock, which, while not exactly necessary, is useful for meeting certain events that happen at specific times without having to guesstimate.* ApatheticCitizens: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] and [[AvertedTrope averted.]] - Some characters note that the festival is usually crowded with people, and the threat of the falling moon scared them all away. Some of the other citizens refuse to believe that the moon is actually falling. If you enter the Mayor's conference, the town is divided between those who want to continue the festival and those who want to evacuate the town. However, this is later subverted; on the third day, when the moon is ''very, very large'', everyone is panicking and evacuating the town.* ApocalypseHow: What happens if you fail. Invariably Total Extinction. Could also plausibly be Physical Annihilation, but the further results of the moon crashing aren't seen after Link's (pretty horrible) demise.* ArtifactOfDoom:** The eponymous mask, which the Happy Mask Salesman is desperate for Link to retrieve from the Skull Kid at all costs.** The Fierce Deity's Mask. The in-game description hints the mask's power is in the same class as Majora's Mask's own power, and fighting [[spoiler:Majora]] with the Fierce Deity's Mask equipped is a phenomenal example of a CurbStompBattle.* ArtifactTitle: Princess Zelda has very little to do with anything in this game, and only appears in a brief flashback near the beginning.* ArtisticLicensePhysics / SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: If you do the math the total destructive force of the moon dropping on Termina would be quite different from what's depicted in the game, as detailed in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFPPKz6Y2hY this video.]] Of course, in real life the moon would be traveling towards earth much faster as well.* AscendedExtra: A lot of things that you could have ignored in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' were upgraded to become a major parts of the story in this game:** The Happy Mask Salesman was just a shop owner for a side quest in ''Ocarina of Time''. In ''Majora's Mask'', he used to own the titular mask, and he kicks off Link's quest by tasking him with its retrieval.** In ''Ocarina of Time'', Skull Kid is just a single forest imp that you really didn't have to ever see in the game. In this game, Skull Kid is the primary antagonist [[spoiler:under the influence of Majora's Mask.]]** The masks are what drive the plot of the game, including the Goron and Zora masks which you didn't even need for a sidequest in ''Ocarina of Time'', and whose only use was getting funny dialogue out of [=NPCs=].** The Deku Scrubs have a full kingdom in the game. In ''Ocarina of Time'', they were just mere {{mooks}}.** The Fire and Ice Arrows are far more useful than they were in ''Ocarina of Time'', considering they weren't even required to complete it. It is possible to finish the first game without even obtaining them. Averted with the Light Arrows, which are required in both games.** The Bunny Hood in ''Ocarina of Time'' is only useful for a ChainOfDeals, and has no special powers apart from preventing stalchildren from coming out at night in Hyrule Field. In ''Majora's Mask'', it grant a speed boost that is optional but useful at various points in the game.* AsideGlance: Link, after Tatl joins you.* AsYouKnow: When encountering any recycled mook from ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'', Tatl would say something like "You don't even know what a keese is?"* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever:** Twinmold, until you use Giant's Mask to match its size.** Captain Keeta, who first acts as a GetBackHereBoss, and fights Link directly once he's caught.* AttackOfTheTownFestival: When does the moon crash? On the day of the festival honoring the guardians of the land. Said guardians are necessary for stopping said moon.* AwesomeYetImpractical:** The Razor Sword is more powerful than the Kokiri Sword, and rather cool looking. However, it can not be taken back in time, breaks after 100 hits, costs both 100 rupees and a day to make, and is only really useful as a bridge to the much more useful Gilded Sword.** You can fight the second boss, Goht, by standing in the doorway and shooting fire arrows as he approaches. You'll probably take a lot of damage from getting trampled, and it takes a long time to finish. The inclusion of a weak point in the [=3DS=] remake means this strategy doesn't work anymore.** Great Fairy's Sword is assigned to a (C) item button, ''not'' the (B) button meant for Link's swords. This makes it utilizing it not only feel ''unnatural'', but trying to execute a spin attack upon demand is unreliable to say the least. While not useless, you do only get it after completing the last dungeon, and by this point in the game you've dispatched most of the game's threats where it could have been put to good use, barring yet-to-be-done sidequests. ** The Giant's Mask, which you get 2 rooms before fighting Twinmold (the penultimate boss), can only be used when fighting Twinmold and drains your magic meter like nothing else. That said using the mask allows you to curb stomp Twinmold faster than anything else [[spoiler: it's even stronger than the Fierce Deity's Mask]]. Even more so in the 3DS remake, where you obtain it [[spoiler:''while fighting the boss'', after you beat the blue Twinmold]]. It is actually required to defeat [[spoiler:the red Twinmold]], and while it makes Link fight and taunt like a wrestler, its magic cost is still high and drains after a short while.** The Fierce Deity's mask can only be worn in boss rooms. While it turns a few of them into a CurbstompBattle, it gives no major advantages against any boss with a gimmick.* BackgroundMusicOverride: If Link gets to the point where there are only six in-game hours left until the moon falls, the theme of the final hours will play in the background until the moon falls or Link goes back to the first day. The theme overrides any and all songs in the game other than those of the current dungeon, mini-boss or boss.* BadMoonRising: Or, in this case, ''descending''.* BagOfSpilling: Zigzagged: Link doesn't keep any of the items he had at the end of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' (bomb bag, Lens of Truth, etc.) apart from his sword and the eponymous instrument (a gift from Zelda), but he ''does'' keep a metal shield (similar to, but not the Hylian Shield) and Epona (whom he never got to ride as a kid). Playing the "Song of Time" to reset the in-game clock also causes you to lose pretty much anything that's not a key item (current rupees, bombs/arrows, etc. which are shown flying out of Link as you tumble back through time) and resets pretty much all sidequests and {{Boss Battle}}s. You get to keep the money you deposited in the bank, since the stamp is updated every time you make a deposit, so you're not actually saving your rupees, you're just ripping off the banker. In short, you lose all progress in dungeons (like keys) and side quests, all currency, and all ammunition. You keep key items found in dungeons and side quests, proof of dungeon/side quest completion, and health/magic upgrades.* BalefulPolymorph: Link's original transformation into a Deku Scrub was this. After he changes back to normal, he becomes a VoluntaryShapeshifter.* BanditMook: The Takkuri, a goofy vulture-like creature that hangs out near Milk Road, will do its best to ram into you on sight. If it does, you may lose hundreds of Rupees - or worse, an irreplaceable piece of equipment such as a bottle or your sword. If you lose an item, the only ways to get it back are to purchase it from the Curiosity Shop (apparently the Takkuri's fence) or reset using the Song of Time. However, if you manage to kill the bastard, it drops a Golden Rupee worth 200 rupees.* BattleTops: [[spoiler:In its final form, Majora's Wrath, the mask attacks with a pair of whip-like appendages and razor studded spinning tops.]]* BecomingTheCostume: The Deku Mask, the Zora Mask, the Goron Mask and the Fierce Deity's Mask, each of which transforms Link into the race (or in the case of that last one, the minor god) it represents.* BecomingTheMask: Discussed. [[spoiler:One of the children in the Moon asks , "if you have so many masks, what does your ''true'' face look like?"]] Also hinted at in the manga.* {{BFS}}: Four: The Gilded sword, an adult longsword which Link uses in one hand; The Great Fairy Sword, which is almost as long as Link is tall and as wide as he is; the Double Helix Sword [[spoiler:(Fierce Deity's sword)]]; and Odolwa's sword.* BigBad: Skull Kid [[spoiler:at least until the final confrontation on the clock tower.]]* BigBoosHaunt: Ikana Canyon.* BigBulkyBomb: The Powder Keg.* BiggerBad: The ancient tribe that created Majora's Mask* BladeBelowTheShoulder: Zora Link's armfins are not just for swimming; they also function as sword, shield, ''and'' boomerangs.* BlindingBangs: The banker sports these since he's directly based on the beggar from ''Ocarina of Time''.* BlingBlingBang: The Gilded Sword, which is made by forging the Razor Sword with a bottle of gold dust won from the Gorons. * BodyToJewel: The moon's crystal tears.* BookEnds: ** This game begins and ends at the Clock Tower. ** The very first track that plays in the intro is the last one to play in the credits. Link is also shown doing the same action during both instances, [[spoiler: traveling through a forest]].** Link meets Skull Kid at least twice in the game: At the beginning during the first three-day cycle, and at the end after all Giants were freed. ** Playing hide and seek with children.** ''Majora's Mask'' ends where ''Ocarina of Time'' began: at a WorldTree housing a [[GlowingEyesOfDoom glowing-eyed]] monster.* BoringButPractical: ** All the Bunny Hood does is make you run faster and jump farther. This is why you're probably going to have this on the most outside of transformation masks, and it makes for a pretty good tool for speedruns.** The Stone Mask renders most monsters and [=NPCs=] oblivious to Link's presence, allowing him to sneak effortlessly past guards and defeat enemies at leisure. [[note]] The four Gerudo Pirate Guards in the fortress are able to see right through it. Good thing you only encounter them as minibosses when you are trying to get the four eggs they stole. [[/note]]* BottomlessPits: Used in the traditional sense like they were in ''Ocarina of Time''; fall into one and you respawn in the beginning of the room with some health lost. The Stone Tower Temple takes it a step further with the GravityScrew by making it possible to fall ''into the sky''.* BraggingRightsReward: [[spoiler:The Fierce Deity's Mask. It turns Link into the Fierce Deity, able to slay bosses in just a few hits, including the final boss. You need to collect every mask in the game to get it and it can't normally be used outside of boss rooms.]]* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler:The eponymous mask does this to the Skull Kid.]]* BrickJoke: When you first meet the Happy Mask Salesman at the beginning of the game, Tatl hides behind Link. The reason is that she and her brother Tael were with the Skull Kid when he stole Majora's Mask from him. At the end of the game, [[spoiler:When the Salesman reveals himself, Tael hides behind Link]].* BringIt: [[spoiler:Majora's third form makes a gesture like this if you don't make an attempt to attack.]]* BubblegloopSwamp: Woodfall.* BunniesForCuteness: The Bunny Hood is one of the most useful masks in the game, allowing you to run twice as fast. Link also looks completely adorable when wearing it.* ButNowIMustGo: Link, who hasn't one moment to enjoy the world he just spent no small amount of effort to save.* TheCameo:** The Happy Mask Salesman's backpack contains masks of [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]] and Music/ElvisPresley.** Princess Zelda's only appearance in this game is in a flashback where she re-teaches you the Song of Time.* CameraLockOn: The game includes this feature in the same way ''Ocarina of Time'' did. It's done by pressing or holding Z Button.* ChainOfDeals: The Deku Title Deed SideQuest.* ChasingYourTail: The boss battle against Goht. It's technically possible to defeat him with carefully placed bombs and/or arrows (and loads of patience), but a lot more entertaining to mow him down with Goron Link's spikes.* ChekhovsGunman:** An example that occurs ''after'' the game has ended. The twisted tree you see at the beginning of the game turns out to be [[spoiler:the remains of the Deku Butler's son. Doubles as ChekhovMIA.]]** The Skull Kid is confirmed in the epilogue to be the one from ''Ocarina of Time''.* {{Chiaroscuro}}: Extremely prevalent in promo art, less so in the game itself.* ChildhoodMarriagePromise: Kafei and Anju had one of these, promising each other to exchange wedding masks on the day of the Carnival of Time which according to Termina tradition was the best day for couples to be married. The promise proves so meaningful that Kafei refuses to reunite with Anju without retrieving his wedding mask (the Sun's Mask) from Sakon, who stole it shortly before the events of the game began.* ClearTheirName: One of Link's motives for rescuing the Deku Princess is exonerating her monkey friend, who's been wrongly accused of the crime.* ClockTower: The centerpiece of Clock Town, naturally.* ColonyDrop: What the Skull Kid does with the Moon, using the power of Majora's Mask. When you confront him on top of the Clock Tower, he yanks it down even ''faster'' (reducing the in-game countdown by one hour), and taunts you with "If it's something that can be stopped, just try to stop it!"* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: The color of the rupee next to the number of rupees that you currently have reflects the wallet that you are carrying at the moment. A green rupee indicates that you are carrying the child's wallet (99 rupees), a blue rupee indicates that you are carrying the adult's wallet (200 rupees), and a red rupee indicates that you are carrying the giant's wallet (500 rupees). A minor but nice touch, something that [=OoT=] didn't have.* CombatTentacles: [[spoiler:Majora's Wrath.]]* ComicBookAdaptation: The manga by Akira Himekawa, which puts the Skull Kid in a more sympathetic light and also includes a bonus story illustrating the creation of the eponymous mask, but cuts out most of Ikana Canyon to focus on Anju and Kafei.* CompoundInterestTimeTravelGambit: To keep track of bank accounts, the banker puts a stamp on the person's head. This stamp remains on you when you travel back in time. To 100% the game, you are ''required'' to abuse this, as the banker gives you a larger wallet at 200 rupees, and a heart piece at '''5000'''. The game's official guide [[LampshadeHanging sums up the situation]]:-->This will probably result in a devastating crash of the bank and the complete destabilization of Clock Town's economy, but hey, that still beats being obliterated by a falling moon.* ConsoleCameo: The 3DS version includes appearances by such varied Nintendo hardware as the Ultra Hand, ROB, a [=GameCube=] with Game Boy Player (or at least, the appearance of the front side of one) and a Wii Remote.* ContinuityNod:** The Indigo-Gos' hit song is [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening "The Ballad of the Wind Fish"]]. (Though, that's just its title; the song itself is the Sea Lily's Bell theme, also from ''Link's Awakening''.)** The Skull Kid is ''heavily'' implied to be [[spoiler: the same one who gives you a Heart Piece for playing "Saria's Song" to him in ''Ocarina of Time''. He says that you smell like "the fairy kid who taught him that song in the woods," and you even hear the song in TheStinger.]]** The man who runs the shooting gallery in Clock Town uses a very familiar phrase when you fail his archery minigame. "You can try again, [[TheLegendOfZeldaCDiGames as long as you have enough Rupees]]".** The lady at the dog racing track has a similar name to the lady with a Bow-Wow from LinksAwakening, as well as the dog lover from [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames Oracle of Ages]].** The band members of the Indigo-Go's play songs from previous installments of the Zelda franchise when you visit their rooms. The pianist is playing the game over/continue theme from the original Legend of Zelda. The bassist is playing the dungeon theme from the same. The drummer is playing the cave theme from ALinkToThePast.** Majora's Incarnation sometimes sings the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGzlVe8eSVs melody to the Death Mountain dungeon]] from [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI the first game]].* ContractualBossImmunity: Inverted, unintentionally. When using glitches to wear the Fierce Deity's Mask outside of boss battles, most enemies aren't programmed to take damage from the sword beams that shred bosses in seconds. That means the being that can defeat the final boss in a minute can't even hurt a ''Keese'' with the sword beams. They're not immune to his sword, at least.* CoolHorse: Epona, of course.* CowboysAndIndians: [[spoiler:Majora considers the final battle a round of "good guys against bad guys". And it insists on playing the good guy.]]* CrapsackWorld: What Skull Kid is turning Termina into. Although considering what the owl is implying about the doomed Deku and the (un)dead Ikana Canyon, two problems that started long before the Skull Kid showed up, not all of it may be his fault.* CreepyChild: [[spoiler:The mask-wearing children on the moon, not least because ''they resemble the Happy Mask Salesman''.]]* CreepyGood: The Happy Mask Salesman. He's very creepy and mysterious, and only seems to be concerned with getting his mask back, but his dialogue suggests that he knows more than he lets on, as he urges Link to get Majora's Mask back before something terrible happens.%%%%%Please put Crowning Moments in their respective subsection. This includes Crowning Music of Awesome, which belongs in AwesomeMusic/TheLegendOfZelda.%%%* CurbStompBattle: Any boss with the Fierce Deity's Mask. [[spoiler:[[AnticlimaxBoss Yes, including the last one.]]]]* {{Curse}}: Skull Kid loves cursing people and even places. It's one of the first things to happen in the game. Even the undead are cursed by the guy.--> "We dead should not be lingering here in this land. It was all a trick of the masked one who had upset things." — Sharp* DamnYouMuscleMemory: A couple examples in the 3DS release, the most notable being the fact that because Owl Statues now function as save points ala Skyward Sword and Link Between Worlds, the Song of Time no longer saves the game, so one must take care to not quit without saving after playing it.* DangerousDeviceDisposalDebacle: The legend of Majora's Mask says that the people who used to use it in hexing rituals finally realized exactly what kind of destructive power was contained within it, sealed it in shadow so it would never be used, and then went missing. By the time of the game's events, the Mask Salesman only sought it out as a collector's item, leaving it open for the Skull Kid to steal and subsequently misuse.* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Majora's Mask'' is widely considered to be one of the darkest games in the entire ''Zelda'' franchise, if not the darkest, with certain doom literally scowling down at you every waking hour of the day. Termina is a land riddled with tragedy and despair, the circumstances of which must be repeated over and over again to prevent the demise of its citizens.* DarkReprise: The Final Day theme for Clock Town, as compared to the First Day version.* DarkestHour: Or rather, the final six hours until the Moon crashes. The clock tower ominously chimes away on what is supposed to be a night of celebration, is now instead the eve of the apocalypse. The hauntingly ethereal and somber soundtrack plays. Your clock suddenly turns into a CatastrophicCountdown which in turn becomes flashing red upon the final hour. * DeadPersonImpersonation: Link himself. Wear the Goron or Zora masks, and everybody will think that you are either Darmani or Mikau, respectively. [[spoiler:Also, the Deku Butler is reminded of his son when he sees Deku Link. This is only made more obvious when the Butler is seen next to the twisted tree you see at the beginning of the game in the end credits.]]* DecapitationPresentation: This game uses a less violent variant. The masks that the bosses wear are substituted for the actual heads.* DegradedBoss: Dinolfos is a MiniBoss in the Woodfall Temple and two optional areas, but only a regular enemy elsewhere. * DescentIntoDarknessSong: The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0kXVfqPrLs Clock Town theme.]] It starts out rather upbeat enough, as the town is mostly going about its business and the townspeople blissfully ignorant that anything's wrong. Sure, [[WeirdMoon the moon is up there glaring at them]], but it's way out there. What's it gonna do? The next day, [[ColonyDrop the moon is demonstrably closer than its original position]], and that night, closer still. The music is slightly darker to accomodate. Then, by the third day, the music is outright apocalyptic, since the townspeople have all but fled or given up in terror, and the moon is so close it looks like it could cleanse the planet with one strong snort.* DespairEventHorizon: A lot of people cross this on the third day, especially the Postman who curses about how badly he wants to flee, but that "it's not on the schedule", and the swordmaster, who boasts that if the moon falls he'll just cut it out of the sky. [[spoiler:Come the final six hours of the third day, you can find him huddled and shaking in the back room of his shop crying that he's afraid to die.]]* TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything:** Just bring a mask or item you think is relevant to an appropriate NPC, and more often than not it will trigger something unique; the sheer amount of alternate dialogue and events here is ''staggering'' for a game of its time.** When Sakon steals the bomb bag, try shooting an arrow at him.[[note]]Players who have not obtained the Blast Mask, or who intend to do any segment of the Anju/Kafei sidequest past that point, are discouraged from attempting this. The reason is because the bomb bag must be retrieved without blasting it, and because Kafei must see Sakon alive so he can discover his hideout.[[/note]]** Wear the Captain's Hat during the King Ikana fight. [[spoiler: It's a PaperThinDisguise at first, before the King recognizes that Link is ''too short'' to be Keeta.]] During the fight immediately before that one, try [[ViolationOfCommonSense marching with the Bremen Mask]] to see the Servants march.** Go into the Pirate captain's quarters wearing the Stone Mask. Instead of being invisible like you normally would be, you're caught, with the pirates wondering how some kid in a funny mask got all the way up here. There are also a couple of scripted fights in the pirate area where the pirates will [[LampshadeHanging comment on]] your usage of the Stone Mask (if you're wearing it).** Try using the Song of Healing on a broken sign. The sign magically repairs itself.[[note]]In ''Ocarina of Time'', Zelda's Lullaby does the same thing.[[/note]]** Some characters in the game will have commentary on every single one of your masks.** If you want to water a planted bean but don't have water in a bottle, the Song of Storms will work just as well.** Tatl and Tael will have a different conversation before entering the moon a second time on the same save file. The first time, Tatl will be very angry towards Skull Kid while Tael defends him by revealing that [[spoiler:it was the mask all along]]. If you reset time and trigger the scene again, [[BlahBlahBlah Tatl will interrupt her brother's plea]] - after all, she's heard this conversation before. Cue a perplexed Tael.** The guards at the Pirate's Fortress have worse vision at night, but only in the Japanese version.** As with ''Ocarina of Time'', most items have different effects when used on Gossip Stones. Different Ocarina songs do different things (most commonly give you fairies for playing the Song of Storms), bombs make it rocket into space (and it will stay gone until you go back to the first day), hitting it with a sword makes it tell you the time... etc.** Due to glitching and exploits, it's possible to get the Goron and Zora masks, as well as accessing Snowhead, Pirates' Fortress, and Ikana Canyon before you set foot in any dungeon. The dev team made sure to make it impossible to use the Hookshot to cross the river into Ikana Canyon. However, it's still possible to get over it without Ice Arrows; a bomb-boosted jump as Zora Link works just fine. If you managed to complete Stone Tower Temple before Great Bay (the place where you get the Ice Arrows), Tatl will panic when you return to Clock Town, saying that there's still more to be done out there.* DifficultyByRegion:** In the original Japanese version, the ''only'' way to save was to warp all the way back to the first day, as the Owl Statues were only used for warping. Needless to say, the international cut received the ability to quicksave at owl statues, making the game less of one big MarathonLevel. The tradeoff for this feature, however, was that the international version could only hold two save files. The Japanese version had the traditional three.** Numerous glitches in the Japanese version were fixed in the international versions. Some segments in the Japanese version were also made easier. * DirtyCoward: Sakon's choice of victims hint at him being this.* DiscOneFinalBoss: Although hints are dropped here and there, throughout the entire game it seems like you'll square off against the super-powerful Skull Kid after you've freed the Four Giants. [[spoiler:When you confront him at the end, all it takes to deal with him is for you to perform the Oath to Order, which will summon the Four Giants to stop the moon and save Termina. Then Majora's Mask ''itself'' starts talking... Bonus points for having been right in your face all this time, during which you probably thought it was just an inanimate, [[ArtifactOfDoom albeit evil]], artifact.]]* DisgustingPublicToilet: At about 12:00 AM in the Stock Pot Inn in Clock Town, the bathroom (which is actually very clean) will suddenly have a huge nasty hand of unknown identity sticking out of its toilet. "Pa-Pa-Pa-Paper!" This hand reappears in ''Oracle Of Ages'' and ''Skyward Sword'', but in those games it is [[NightmareRetardant less creepy than the original]].* DoesNotLikeShoes: A number of characters. The Rosa Sisters, Kamaro, and Guru-Guru come to mind.* DoomsdayClock: Both the clock tower in Clock Town and the smaller clock at the bottom of the screen qualify.* DownTheDrain: Everyone remember [=OoT=]'s [[ThatOneLevel Water Temple?]] Well, this game's counterpart, Great Bay Temple, [[UpToEleven manages to be even more confusing.]]* DownTheRabbitHole: Although Link's a male example, the entire setting is this.* DrunkOnMilk: {{Lampshaded}} by Gorman, who does this (and requires you to cure his hangover in the 3DS version).* DummiedOut: Datamining has revealed some [[http://www.zeldauniverse.net/zelda-news/majoras-mask-contains-two-hidden-unused-cutscenes/ removed cutscene]] that was apparently supposed to be a Great Fairy teaching Link about the Magic Meter [=and/or=] how to use the Spin Attack. It looks... [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything more than a little suspect]].* DubNameChange: Strangely, a case of a name ''not'' being changed. Wart is known as Arrghus in every other localization it appears in.* EarnYourHappyEnding:** The world is going to end in three days and only you can go back in time to prevent it from happening. All the while people around you become depressed, the five areas are in turmoil with everyone in Termina, and trying to help anyone is ultimately pointless because you have to turn back the clock eventually to stop the end of the world. All the while the Moon continues to stare down at you, scaring you and mocking your efforts at the same time. Yet despite all that you still keep going. You struggle for the light at the end of this dark tunnel and when you finally see the sun rise on the 4th day, you know it was all because ''you didn't give up.'' Better yet, your efforts paid off, because the good endings you managed to bring in previous timelines actually stay true, regardless of whether or not you made them happen in the cycle during which you defeated the FinalBoss or not.** Averted in some cases, as there are plotlines or character dilemmas that can't or don't have a satisfying conclusion regardless of how Link alters events - the origins of the masks being a more unsettling example.-->'''Child on the Moon:''' The right thing... what is it? I wonder, if you do the right thing, does it really make everyone happy?* ElephantInTheLivingRoom: Almost everyone either ignores or downplays the quite-obvious fact that the moon is falling and the world will be destroyed. In the final hours of the last day, some characters begin to acknowledge their impending death, but denialism still runs rampant throughout Termina right up to the end.* EleventhHourSuperpower: ** You cannot get the Fierce Deity's Mask until seconds before the final boss. Also, the awe-inspiring Giant's Mask can only be used during one specific battle in the entire game.** The Great Fairy Sword requires you to collect all the faries in the final dungeon and can be more troublesome to aquire than the Feirce Deity Mask. It is also the strongest weapon you can use outside of a boss fight* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: What Link is trying to prevent with the GroundhogDayLoop.* EpicHail: The Oath to Order -- the song that summons the four Giants to unite and protect their land, but only if they've all been awakened. * EscortMission: If Link saves Romani Ranch from "[[AliensStealCattle Them]]", he can help Cremia deliver some milk to town, and in the process he must drive off the disguised Gorman Brothers attempting to destroy the cart. (This becomes ''laughably'' easy if you wear the Gorman Mask... which you can only get after finishing the quest.)* EternalEngine: Great Bay Temple, a maze of pipelines, sluices, valves, and [[DownTheDrain lots and lots of water]].* EverythingsBetterWithRainbows: At the end, the Moon dissolves in a chromatic light, and leaves a rainbow streaked across the sky.* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Not only does this include Link's spin attack, but defeating Twinmold in the 3DS remake involves knocking it out of the air, grabbing its tail, spinning around and ''slamming'' it into the ground.* EvilDetectingDog: The dog on Romani Ranch will run and bark in the direction of the nearest one of "Them" as they invade. * EvilMask:** Majora's Mask. That Skull Kid wearing it might seem like a monster, given the various gruesome curses he inflicts on you and the residents of Termina - but then you learn that before he put it on, he was just a lonely kid who wanted friends. By the end of the game, it becomes clear that the mask itself has been pulling the strings the entire time, and has no motive for any of its cruelty besides its own amusement.** The Fierce Deity's Mask, which is implied to contain dark powers nearly as powerful as Majora. Link doesn't have a problem with it, though, probably because he's [[TheHero Link]]. * EvilTowerOfOminousness: The Stone Tower to some extent, even though it's not the BigBad's base of operations. It's so tall it can be seen from parts of Termina that are nowhere near it (e.g. from the Goron village or from just outside Clock Town's east gate). To get to the dungeon proper you have to pass through two stone monster faces, the first of which is at the bottom of the tower and the second of which is a giant one at the top with flaming eyes. The curse placed on the dead kingdom of Ikana emanates from this tower. It's not clear who built it and it's covered in strange symbols and iconography, some of which seems to reference the Triforce, which has led to much [[EpilepticTrees speculation]] from fans.* {{Expy}}: Most moderately-significant characters, and even a few significant ones like Tatl, are expies of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' characters. For example, the Gorman brothers are three expies of Ingo, who is in turn an expy of a certain [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros plumber's brother]].* EyeScream: During the Deku Scrub TransformationSequence, Link's eyes ''have cracks in them.'' The Goron and Zora sequences have similar effects.* FaceDesignShield: The Mirror Shield.* FaceFault:** Deku Link does one while talking to the monkey prisoner in the Deku Palace. Cue everyone else in the throne room looking over at them.** In the 3DS remake, Goron Link also nearly does one when he finds that playing the Goron's Lullaby put not only put the Goron Elder's son to sleep, but all the other Gorons nearby as well.* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath:** Keep in mind that the Deku Scrubs are plants, which means they are made of wood, which means that they, and more specifically, Deku Scrub Link, are extremely flammable. For that matter, so is Zora Link. Catch even the slightest fire-based attack and he instantly goes down in flames.** Gorons cannot swim due to their stonelike weight. If you jump into water while wearing the Goron Mask, Link will instantly [[SuperDrowningSkills drown]], then respawn minus one heart of health.* FantasticRacism: ** Several characters will only give you respect in one form. The girl in the treasure chest shop charges different rates depending on which species you are, while the Curiosity Shop will only do business with humans.-->"Eesh. You frighten me. I keep special hours for folks like you. Try comin' back at half past ''never''."** After you find all of the members as a Deku Scrub, the Bombers refuse to accept you into their gang. This particular prejudice is caused by their negative previous experience with the Skull Kid.* FastForwardMechanic: Not only is there a song to skip ahead ("Song of Double Time"), but also to slow it down ("Inverted Song of Time") and reset time ("Song of Time"), which also doubles as the way to save your game in the original version (In the remake, Owl and Feather statues act as save points instead).* AFatherToHisMen: Captain Skull Keeta. While he's never seen directly interacting with the Stalchildren, he's implied to be this by dialogue.* FetchQuest: The arduously long Anju and Kafei quest, which you have to do at least twice in order to get HundredPercentCompletion.* FirstPersonSnapshooter: The pictobox allows you to take and store a single photo of anything you like at a time. Said photos are used to gain rewards from certain people and are even required to progress through the game on occasion.* FishingMinigame: The remake brings back fishing in the form of two fishing ponds. Any of Link's transformations can fish, [[spoiler: including Fierce Deity Link]].* FiveManBand: Oddly, despite not being a band of heroes but an actual, musical band, the Indigo-Go's pretty much fit the pattern with Mikau as TheHero, Japas as TheLancer, Tijo as TheBigGuy, Evan as TheSmartGuy and Lulu as TheChick.* ForDoomTheBellTolls: The clocktower tolls regularly to signal when it is night and day, but gets more unsettling the closer the moon gets. It doesn't stop chiming once midnight hits on the Last Day, constantly reminding you that, yeah, better get to that clock tower.----->Dawn of the Second Day\\- 48 Hours Remain -----* FourIsDeath: Four curses, Four Giants, Four Transformation Masks, and Four Temples. The Moon falls at 6:00 am of the fourth day. The order of temples you visit forms the number four. * FountainOfYouth: Kafei, who the Skull Kid reverted to a child prior to the events of the game. [[spoiler: It's implied at the end that the curse is lifted, restoring Kafei to his proper age.]]* FreudianExcuse: [[spoiler:Skull Kid did all those things because Majora's Mask made him do them]]. Normally, this would be a very poor excuse, but in this case, an exception can be made -- he was only susceptible to the [[spoiler: DemonicPossession]] because he wanted friends ''that badly''. The Four Giants feel a lot of responsibilty for how [[spoiler: Skull Kid]] is acting as they recognise their leaving him was seen as them abandoning him and beg you to forgive [[spoiler: Skull Kid]].* GaidenGame: To ''Ocarina of Time''. The WorkingTitle was even "Zelda Gaiden".* GameBreakingBug:** Exploiting a certain glitch allows you to use the Fierce Deity's Mask outside of boss rooms. On the plus side, you can curb stomp nearly any monster you fight with the super power from the mask. On the bad side, talking to specific characters or doing other specific actions can cause the game to lock up due to the game not being programmed to handle certain things with the mask equipped.** The 3DS remake has a pretty big one involving the fishing ponds. Ordinarily, the shopkeeper will ask if you want to leave when you approach the exit door; if you say yes, he'll take your fishing rod. If you play an invalid song and move towards the door while the "Your notes echoed far... but nothing happened" message is still up, this event won't trigger and you'll be able to take the fishing rod out of the pond. It's somewhat buggy, though: the game treats it as if it has ammo (set to a maximum of 0), and if you try to cast it, Link will pull out an invisible object and the game will crash.* GetBackHereBoss: Goht requires you to chase him down using the Goron Mask.* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:** The Rosa Sisters. You teach them a dance, which requires many arousing dancing moves. Then, they kneel in front of you and say that you're their master.** [[MarshmallowHell The "reward" you earn from Cremia after assisting her with the milk delivery after earning the Romani's Mask.]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGyHJqrXcSo "You could get used to this."]]** The fact that every single Queen Fairy in the game wears ''nothing but leaves'' which, due to the low detail of the model, are completely and utterly ''see through'', [[BarbieDollAnatomy though nothing explicit is drawn]]. The leaves become a leopard print bikini in the remake, though there's still some underboob.** Go into the Milk Bar at night and talk to Gorman. He's quite obviously drunk, and [[LampshadeHanging asks you if it's possible to get tipsy on milk]]. In the 3DS version, the next day he's hung over in his hotel room and requires some special milk from his brothers to solve his stomach problems. (You get to keep the bottle after doing so, bringing the total up to seven.)** This is the only game in the entire Zelda franchise where you can actually kill an NPC. Just try shooting Sakon with a projectile as he's stealing the Bomb Shop owner's bag.** Take a closer look at the blocks in Stone Tower, looking at their undersides (which is much easier when the Tower is upside-down). That's the Triforce being simultaneously licked and rubbed against some butt cheeks.** The fisherman's request for a picture of the Gerudo pirates [[ADateWithRosiePalms can be interpreted in many ways]], and the 3DS remake even seems to [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] it (when you show him the picture the game says Link - [[ChildrenAreInnocent a kid]] - "doesn't quite get it").* GhostlyGlide: The Happy Mask Salesman is rarely seen actually walking. He usually "cuts" from frame-to-frame to different locations, though at one point he turns around to face the camera by slowly rotating on the spot... [[spoiler:When he walks off a the end of the game, he stops after a few feet and fades away.]]* GoshHornet: Link drops a beehive on a group of Gerudo soldiers in their Great Bay fortress, leading to a lot of frantic running and girlish shrieks.* GravityScrew: In the Stone Tower Temple, you can flip gravity. And in two certain rooms, you can flip gravity while gravity's already been flipped once. But only for those two rooms.* GrimUpNorth: Snowhead during winter.* GrimyWater: The swamp of Woodfall has been poisoned by the curse. Thankfully, only normal (and Zora) Link have to worry about it -- Deku Link just skips across the water's surface, and Goron Link (who [[SuperDrowningSkills can't swim]]) just gets teleported out (à la NonLethalBottomlessPit) should he fall in.* GroundhogDayLoop: The whole plot, more-or-less.* GuideDangIt:** Given how many side quests are in this game, many of them are involved, but none more so than the Anju and Kafei quest, due to the need to know where each important step has to be done and when.** In the 3DS remake, the Twinmold fight has become its own special breed of GuideDangIt due to the new strategies required to defeat the second worm. It's a completely different fight from the original version, and many series-standard features (like targetting) will actually make the fight impossible to complete. It's easy to get stuck on the fight for a very long time now just because of how hard it is to tell if what you're doing is having any effect at all.* HailfirePeaks: ** Snowhead Temple, a [[SlippySlideyIceWorld predominantly icy dungeon]] that contains [[LavaPit lava pits]] and some fire-based enemies.** Great Bay Temple; combining DownTheDrain and EternalEngine.* HammerspaceHideaway: The Deku princess somehow gets put into one of Link's bottles, despite being almost as tall as Link himself.* HannibalLecture: The children wearing the boss masks on the Moon each give you one after finding them in hide and seek: one asks Link about the nature of goodness, one about the nature of friendship, one on the nature of happiness, and one who asks what Link's true face looks like "underneath the mask" and implies that he is BecomingTheMask. This theme is even stronger in the manga, where the demon Majora taunts Link and gives him a "demon" (Oni) mask of his own to wear.* HeliCritter: The Deku Scrubs. Link himself gains this power when he transforms into one.* HideousHangoverCure: The 3DS version adds a small sidequest where you have to bring one of these to Gorman. Tatl won't let you do anything that risks spilling or consuming it, more due to the smell than for Gorman's sake.* HollowWorld: [[spoiler: Going inside the Moon will reveal that it is, in fact, [[{{Arcadia}} an idyllic plain]] with an enormous WorldTree in the center. This would lead one to believe that the four dungeons are in fact inside the actual crust of the moon.]]* IdiotBall: If you go to Ikana Canyon and talk to Sakon, the notorious thief, he'll comment on how nice your sword is and ask if he can have a look. If you say "yes"... [[note]]Tatl scares him off before he can get a hold of it. It's still a dumb move though.[[/note]] A nasty trick to play on players who are used to the frequent ButThouMust requests of most people in the Zelda games.* ImplausibleSynchrony: Every clock in town states the same time. Granted, this is ''Clock Town''.* InfinityMinusOneSword: The Gilded Sword. It is the strongest regular sword you can get in the game, three times as damaging as the Kokiri Sword, and it's only available after at least half the main quest is done with. To get the two other stronger swords (the Great Fairy's Sword and the Double Helix Sword - see below), you have to complete the Stone Tower Temple with all Stray Fairies, and obtain all masks, a goal that pretty much is the same as achieving HundredPercentCompletion, respectively.* InfinityPlusOneSword: The Fierce Deity's Mask, earned after obtaining all the other 23 masks in the game, and the Great Fairy's Sword, the strongest sword in the game (besides the Fierce Deity's weapon). It's a good deal more useful than the mask due to being usable anywhere and not just in boss battles. However, it has the mild disadvantage of taking up a C-Button instead of replacing your normal sword, and Link can't guard as effectively with it as he can with the Gilded Sword and a Shield. The Fierce Deity's Mask can only be used in boss battles and aquiring it is tantamount to HundredPercentCompletion, but it allows you to curbstomp any boss in moments* InstantFlightJustAddSpinning: Deku Link can fly using propeller-like flowers.* InterimVillain: We have the titular mask itself which is the game's BigBad and is ultimately [[TheManBehindTheMan the mask behind the Skull Kid's mischief.]]* InUniverseGameClock: You have 72 hours to stop that moon from falling. You can slow down the clock or reset it to the top again, but beyond that it continues ticking relentlessly. As if that isn't bad enough, the clock actually ticks at a speed of 1 hour every 45 seconds (for every 45 seconds you play, an hour passes in Termina. That's 54 minutes in all). This speed can be slowed, but it's still stressing to only have 180 minutes to save the world or restart the timer.* InvulnerableHorses: The lack of hit-detection or collision-detection from ''Ocarina of Time'' carried over into the game. Link is still completely ''invincible'' while on the back of Epona.* {{Irony}}:** Viscen's soldiers wish to have everyone flee to safety while Mutoh's carpenters demand to stay and continue the carnival. On the final day, most of the carpenters have chickened out and fled while the soldiers are still at their posts due to not having been given the order to evacuate.** Wearing the Mask of Truth to talk to the Gossip Stones in the moon can tell you what characters possess what masks to gain from them. However, one Gossip Stone doesn't seem to mind telling you who has the Mask of Truth...while you're wearing it to talk to it in the first place.* JustBeforeTheEnd: Three days before.* LastNoteNightmare: The title theme.* LampshadeHanging: When you do the Anju & Kafei sidequest again, when you get the Couple's Mask. The test in the 3DS version reads "...You've received this before, but why not again, eh? After all, Love is in the air!"* LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition:** It has a "Collector’s Edition" in America that came with a cartridge that had a holographic label.** It has a "Limited Edition Adventure Set" in Europe limited to 1000 pieces that came with a shirt, a watch, a 2 CD soundtrack, a poster, a sticker and 2 pin badges.** The 3DS version has one with a Skull Kid statue in the US. The European version has a [=SteelBook=] case, an artbook, and a pin.** The 3DS version also had a New 3DS that was golden and had the Titular Mask on it.* LoadsAndLoadsOfSidequests: The game is rather known for the huge amount of {{Sidequest Sidestor|y}}ies it features. Fortunately, this is the first--and thus far only--game in the series to include a daily planner (the Bomber's Notebook) to help keep track of them all.* LoveTriangle: Kafei, Anju and Cremia. The former two are engaged, and planned to have their wedding during the Carnival of Time. But as revealed by Romani, her sister Cremia has feelings towards Kafei, and talking to Cremia herself while wearing Kafei's mask will attest her concern over his disappearance.-->'''Romani:''' My sister, Cremia, has someone in town she likes... But that person is supposed to get married the day of the carnival. It's hard for my sister... Going into town... * LowFantasy: Downplayed. Termina seems to be much lower on the fantasy scale than the general Hyrule games with Link's use of even basic magic fascinating characters and leading them to wrongfully assume he's capable of greater feats like resurrection and while there is a legend of a hero who can change Termina's destiny it never specifies that Link himself is the only one who can do it. Indeed he is the one who does it due to favorable circumstance rather than any divine plan.* MacabreMothMotif: Specifically in Woodfall Temple, where they will chase Link whenever he carries a Deku Stick on fire. Also, the dungeon boss Odolwa will sometimes summon moths to attack.* MagicMusic: The Ocarina, and the corresponding instruments used by Link's three other forms. Healing souls, teleporting, summoning storms, going back and forth through time and more are available to Link through the Ocarina's songs. On the side of evil, Sharp the composer has mastered a tune that slowly kills those who hear it.* ManBehindTheMan: Majora's Mask is this to Skull Kid.* MarshmallowHell: If you complete Cremia's EscortMission with the Romani Mask already in your possession, she treats Link to a hug for lack of a better reward. Thanks to the differences in height, Link gets this trope.* MaskOfPower:** The eponymous Majora's Mask with enough power to destroy the world on a whim, given that someone is wearing it. ** Most of the twenty-four different ones that you collect throughout the game grant you a power of some sort.** The remains of each boss, as far as storyline goes.* MathematiciansAnswer: The Postman, who has just delivered to Anju a letter from her missing lover.--> '''Anju:''' This letter, wh-where did you?!?--> '''Postman:''' From the postbox.--> '''Anju:''' Th-that's not what I mean! From the postbox where?!?--> '''Postman:''' From the postbox somewhere.* MeaningfulEcho: "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" [[note]]The first time you hear this from the Happy Mask Salesman is very early in the game, referring to Link's transformation into a Deku Scrub. The words will appear again should the moon fall on Termina, although this is also meant to represent Link's return to the beginning of the three-day cycle.[[/note]]* MeaningfulName: "Termina" is a doomed world. It's "terminal".* MergedReality: [[spoiler:Implied at the end of the game, as it looks like all the good you've done has been merged into one 'ideal' time-line, despite how many three-day loops you've made or whether you were able to get an event done in the last time loop]].* MindScrew: The climax. [[spoiler:You follow Majora's Mask up to the moon and find a bright, grassy field, with four kids wearing the dungeon boss masks that are playing, while a fifth kid wearing Majora's Mask sits in a TroubledFetalPosition under a tree. The kids each teleport Link to a themed dungeon to play hide and seek, and wax poetic on the symbolism of masks and happiness. Then when Link finishes the dungeon, they've vanished from the field. Finally you talk to the kid in Majora's Mask and he asks you to play with him, which translates into the final battle. You're transported to an AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield, where Majora suddenly summons the four boss masks against you and mutates into increasingly monstrous forms as the battle continues.]]* MiniDungeon: At least four in the game: The Deku Palace where Link infiltrates to learn a song that gives him access to Woodfall Temple, Pirate's Fortress to retrieve the Zora Eggs which are the key to learn the melody that opens the way to the Great Bay Temple, the Gibdo Well to get direct access to another mini-dungeon, the Ancient Castle of Ikana, where in turn Link looks for a way to get access to Stone Tower Temple.* MoodWhiplash:** Clock Town's tune on the final day is a faster-tempo remix, with ominous bass undertones.** Another one happens in the ending, if you collected the correct masks: [[spoiler: Right after the scene of Anju and Kafei's wedding comes a scene where the Deku Butler is mourning the loss of his son]]. * MookBouncer: Not as present in this game compared to ''Ocarina of Time'', but the Wallmaster will try to send you back to the beginning of the area.* {{Mummy}}: Gibdos.* MyopicArchitecture: The door to the castle of Ikana is sealed and cannot be opened by any means... too bad there's a hole in the wall right next to it.* TheNecrocracy: Undead King Igos Du Ikana still rules over his dead kingdom from his palace long after it was destroyed. His subjects now consist only of skeletal warriors and mummies. The Ikana military is still intact and led by Captain Keeta, a giant skeleton. His soldiers generally want to take leave of the oath they swore him so they can pass on.* {{Nerf}}: In the 3DS remake:** The Ice Arrows can only make platforms in specific, sparkling areas of water. ** Regular arrows no longer stun Odolwa, instead either being blocked or jumped over.** The Blast Mask no longer lets you use your shield to block the explosion if you're L-Targeting something. You can still block it if you're not targeting anything, though.* NightmareFace: The Mirror Shield, some of the masks (especially any TransformationSequence), and the Moon.* {{Ninja}}: The Garos act like this, particularly the whole "never leaving behind a body" bit. The game description outright states the Garo are ninjas:--> "This mask can summon the hidden Garo ninjas. Wear it with (C)."* NintendoHard: The dungeons are among the hardest in the series, made even harder with the 3-day limit.* NonstandardGameOver: This is what happens if you let time run out.* OfficialCouple: Kafei and Anju.* OnlyMostlyDead: Talk to the monkey while he's being dunked in the boiling water, and he will be dunked one last time before [[NightmareFuel emerging in a very unsettling state.]] Luckily, if you free the Deku Princess, you find out he's still alive.* OutsideTheBoxTactic: You can actually defeat Goht without ever transforming into Goron Link, though you're forced to fight him as Goron Link in the 3DS version.* PainfulTransformation: See TransformationTrauma.* PaperThinDisguise:** The Captain's Hat to Stalchildren. Despite the fact that Skull Keeta was two stories tall, none of the Stalchildren figure out the difference. [[spoiler: Igos du Ikana isn't fooled. Eventually.]]** Many other masks have similar effects, such as the Gibdo and Garo masks. Even with the three transformation masks, the form Link takes doesn't look much like the person he's impersonating, yet everyone is fooled.* ParentsKnowTheirChildren: The Deku Butler never mistakes Deku Link for his own son, though he does say that he looks a lot like him. This is in contrast to the Goron and Zora races, who always confuse Link with Darmani and Mikau respectively.* PerceptionFilter: The Stone Mask, which makes Link "inconspicuous as a stone", having most [=NPCs=] not see and interact with you. Unless it's a plot-related event, in which case the [=NPCs=] will [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] your usage of the mask. Taken UpToEleven if you use it while fighting regular enemies (not bosses or mini-bosses) - they won't be aware of you even while you stand there ''attacking'' them.* PhraseCatcher: The various spirits of Ikana address Link as "you who do not fear the dead".* PlayerHeadquarters: Clock Town, which is also the FirstTown.* PlotCoupon: The four masks that you recover from the game's four main bosses.* PoliceAreUseless: The soldier at the North Gate during the first night. Not only does he let Sakon slip past him, but he doesn't lift a finger to stop the guy from robbing the poor old lady in the first place.* PurpleIsPowerful: Averted by the [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair purple-haired]] Mayor Dotour, who is mostly impotent as a decision-maker.* PurposelyOverpowered: The Fierce Deity mask, which you can only acquire after getting every other mask and is only usable during boss fights - but makes them completely one-sided.* PyrrhicVictory: If Link does not show the Couple's Mask to the mayor by Day 3, Mutoh blackmails him into not giving the order to flee. Most of the townsfolk decide to flee anyways, including Mutoh's family and several of his carpenters.* RamblingOldManMonologue: Listening to Anju's grandmother ramble on (and then fall asleep as she does so) is a way to skip ahead in time if you don't know the Song of Double Time, and if you manage to stay awake and listen to the whole story, you can even earn two Pieces of Heart out of the ordeal. The nice thing about it is that the stories she tells are actually interesting and provide backstory to Termina and [[spoiler:Skull Kid]].* RecurringBoss: Some of the minibosses, such as Wizzrobe and Iron Knuckle, are fought more than once.* ResetButton: The Song of Time.* RiddleForTheAges: What happened to Navi? This is the last game which featured the Hero of Time, and by the end he still hadn't found Navi, even though the friend he was looking for when he got caught up in this mess is implied to be her.----->Dawn of The Final Day\\- 24 Hours Remain -----* RightOnTheTick: 6 A.M.!* SameContentDifferentRating: Like [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime its predecessor]], the ESRB rating for the 3DS remake is Everyone 10+, while the original version's rating is Everyone (age 6), due to the E10+ rating not existing until 2005.* SchizoTech: Cremia uses a horse and carriage (with a steering wheel), everyone uses melee weapons, and yet the pirates somehow have motorboats. There's also the "pictograph box", which is essentially a 19th century camera. Maybe it and the pirate boat motors [[{{Magitek}} work on magic]], though. [[DownTheDrain Great Bay Temple]] is also full of working plumbing and fluorescent lights.* SealedGoodInACan: The Four Giants.* SentientPhlebotinum: [[spoiler:[[BigBad Majora's Mask itself]] had been orchestrating all of the havoc that the Skull Kid had been wreaking.]]* SequenceBreaking: The dungeons can be completed in any order, provided you take the items you need to complete them first. Of course, this tends to be inconvenient, as either getting to or completing each sequential dungeon requires the item located inside the previous dungeon.* SequelDifficultySpike: This game is noticeably more difficult than [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime its predecessor]], mostly due to the omnipresent time limit, and to the fact that the challenge is packed into the space of only four dungeons (and the accompanying sidequests) rather than [=OoT=]'s nine. Unlike most other Zelda games (due to being a true sequel), it's basically expected here that the player has fully completed the previous game beforehand as ''this'' game doesn't pull its punches even very early on.* SheatheYourSword: [[spoiler: How to defeat the first part of the Goron-roll maze on the moon with ease. Roll forward until spikes appear, then just release the joystick and let the chests and ramps bounce you onto the correct path automatically.]]* ShockAndAwe: Zora Link's electric barrier. Presumably, other Zoras could be capable of this.* {{Shotacon}}: [[spoiler:Anju to Kafei]]. Tatl even says: "Even though they're lovers, they look just like a mother and child."* ShoutOut:** The Bremen Mask, which makes roosters march and dance, is a reference to the [[Creator/TheBrothersGrimm Grimm's fairy tale]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_Musicians_of_Bremen "The Town Musicians of Bremen"]].** Hidden VideoGame/StarFox reference: In the Masks subscreen, the second row of masks [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIoryLG6qfc are aligned in resemblance to five Star Fox characters]].** The aliens that invade the Romani Ranch bear a great resemblance to the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatwoods_monster Flatwoods]] [[http://www.cryptomundo.com/wp-content/flatwoods4.jpg Monster]].** All of the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGQas1eAXII mask transformation scenes]] reference ''Film/TheMask''. It's especially noticeable with the Zora mask transformation. Link screams in pain as Stanley Ipkiss did. Additionally, the backstory of Majora's Mask itself as well as its evil nature are VERY similar to The Mask's own (originally belonged to a lost tribe who used it in their rituals, etc).** Some of the masks on the Happy Mask Salesman's pack look familiar, including one of a [[SuperMarioBros certain red plumber]], [[{{Kirby}} King Dedede]], one that looks like ElvisPresley, and another that looks sort of similar to [[ThePhantomMenace Darth Maul's]] face.** Wart and Twinmold are fought in a similar way to Arrghus and Lanmola respectively, both from ''A Link to the Past''. In fact, Arrghus's Japanese name is also Wart.** [[SonicTheHedgehog There must be a reason why Goron-Link grows spikes when rolling at full speed.]]** In the remake, there are posters advertising the Carnival of Time which bear a logo almost identical to that of ''VideoGame/PanelDePon''.** Also in the remake, the Bomber's Notebook description for successfully completing the alien/ghost sidequest is "[[Film/{{Ghostbusters}} Busting Ghosts]]". * {{Sidequest}}: The whole game serves as one huge sidequest. The game also gives you a ''day planner'' to keep track of all the NPC-based sidequests quests in the game. It's possible to see the end credits but only have completed about 50% of the game. [[WordOfGod Miyamoto stated]] that this was so the player will be able to learn more about the [=NPCs=] and their lives.* SidequestSidestory: See above.* SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness: Despite the pretty bleak main plot, the game still manages to incorporates elements from both ends of the scale as a result of Creator/YoshiakiKoizumi making the scenes and areas he worked on quite serious in tone. In response, Eiji Aonuma tried making his scenes and areas more lighthearted to create some contrast.* SlippySlideyIceWorld: Snowhead, though the slippy obstacles are limited to some parts.* SnowMeansDeath: The curse of the Goron People.* SongsInTheKeyOfPanic: The Clock Town theme accelerates as the three days progress.* SprintShoes: The Bunny Hood boosts Link's movement speed by about 50%, making it as fast as his roll attack.* StandardStatusEffects: Touching a Blue Bubble will cause Link to become "jinxed," which temporarily disables his sword. As he can still use items, however, the Great Fairy Sword is still usable. It's up for debate whether or not this was intentional.* StayWithMeUntilIDie: Invoked, rather hauntingly, by Cremia on the last day when she realises that even the ranch isn't safe from the coming apocalypse and neither she nor Romani will survive the night.--> '''Cremia:''' Romani... sleep with me in my bed tonight, OK?* StealthBasedMission: Deku Palace and the Pirate's Fortress.* SuperDrowningSkills: Deku Link can hop across the water's surface up to 5 times, but can't swim if he falls in after that. Goron Link sinks like... well, like a ''rock''.* SurpriseCreepy: ''Majora's Mask'' is actually pretty unsettling right from the start, but someone coming out of virtually any other game in the series with no warning is in for a shock.* SuspendSave: This feature was added to the American release. If the player doesn't want to go through the entire three-day timeline in one sitting, they have the option of saving and exiting at an owl statue, to resume later. The only way to save one's progress in the game permanently is to go back in time to the beginning of the GroundhogDayLoop. In the 3DS version, this is updated to a normal save system.* TalkingIsAFreeAction** One of the only times the game clock is ''not'' ticking is when there's a text box onscreen.** Played with when you go to talk to the monkey the Deku are keeping prisoner; he offers to teach you a song to allow you to enter the Woodfall Temple. During the scene you (the player, not Link) are shown that the King and the guards are quite aware of your presence. As soon as the monkey teaches you the song the King says that's proof enough of the monkey's guilt and the guards throw you out of the palace.** Averted in one instance: Sakon's escape after mugging the Bomb Shop Woman is unhindered by the text box. Close it quickly, or he may get away!* ThatRussianSquatDance: One of the dances a [=ReDead=] can do if you wear the Captain's Hat, Garo's Mask, or Gibdo's Mask is this. [[spoiler:Majora's Incarnation does this dance as well.]]* TransformationIsAFreeAction: The clock doesn't tick during the change from one form to another. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] by the fact that any given transformation appears to only take a couple of seconds.* TechnicolorBlade: The Great Fairy sword is pink with a green core.* ThatsNoMoon: Not so much the WeirdMoon itelf, but the island in the Great Bay that's actually a sleeping turtle.* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: Minor, but they are so focused on making sure children don't leave the town (unless said child has a sword) that they don't seem to mind if they let a ''thief'' escape with the bombs he just stole from an old lady.* TimedMission: Aside from a few timed mini-games and sidequests (like recovering Kafei's stolen Sun Mask), when you first arrive in Clock Town, the Skull Kid still has your ocarina and you have only three days to get it back before the moon comes crashing down. For every other cycle, though the time limit remains, you can control time with the Ocarina.* TimeTravel: See GroundhogDayLoop. Link can also play the song of Double Time to immediately skip to the next sunrise/sunset time (contrary to its name, it doesn't really speed up time, just skips it).* TimeyWimeyBall: TimeTravel works far differently than in Ocarina of Time. Some items, such as ammo, stray fairies, and sidequest-related items, are lost in the trip back to the beginning. Key items (weapons, masks, heart containers, major PlotCoupons) are safe, though. The exception is the Razor Sword, which reverts back to the Kokiri Sword if you go back in time.* TookALevelInBadass: Link. Thanks to his adventuring experience, he's capable of using adult tools as a child, can pull off more fanciful leaps and is strong enough to use a metal shield and lift bomb flowers without needing a Goron Bracelet. [[spoiler:Presumably, this early additional training is what allowed him to learn and teach the hidden arts to his descendent as the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Hero's Shade]].]]* TransformationTrauma: When you put on a transformation mask, Link looks up with an extremely pained expression and ''screams''.* UniqueEnemy:** There is only one Blue [=ChuChu=] in the game. There is also only one Peahat, even though there are many of them in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]''.** Regular sized Poes only appear in one room in the upside down Stone Tower Temple.** There is also only one Takkuri; it flutters around the entrance to Milk Road.* UnstoppableMailman: {{Deconstructed}} when the postman cannot bring himself to break schedule, even with all of Clock Town evacuated and the end of the world nigh.* VideoGameCaringPotential:** Just knowing that every NPC you come across is going to die in three days if you fail is a pretty huge motivator to get the job done fast -- especially if you fail to get your Ocarina back the first time and have to witness the moon crashing down and obliterating ''everything''.** For that matter, not only is every NPC doomed to die in 3 days but many of them are cursed on top of it, and so is the very land they walk on in some cases. Or in the case of Woodfall Swamp and Great Bay, the water is cursed. Some have even more agony thrown on top of their lives. Kafei has his marriage nearly ruined in addition to being made a child. Skull Kid ran into a centuries-old woman in Woodfall and decided to injure her. ** If you complete the Postman's Hat side quest, you can convince the Postman to stop panicking and deliver the mail. If you talk to him afterwards at the Milk Bar, he'll give you his hat and happily leave Clock Town.** The amount of caring that comes from some of the more hardcore gamers actually results in runs where they try to do as many of the sidequests in a single cycle before finishing the game so all the good they do stays intact.[[note]]It stays intact as long as they do the sidequests once, as the ending credits show, but still.[[/note]]* VideoGameCrueltyPotential:** If you go to such lengths for rupees that you sell the Zora eggs to the Curiosity Shop Owner.** You can score an easy free healing potion from Kotake, the swamp hag, by not bringing it to her wounded sister.** Giving Anju's Letter to Kafei to the hand from the toilet instead of putting it in a mailbox like you should.** Keeping the Pendant of Memories for yourself instead of giving it to Anju. If you complete the rest of the quest, Kafei returns to find Anju isn't waiting for him and is left to die alone in despair.** In Termina Field, there's a man climbing a tree to get at some red rupees. If you roll into the tree you'll knock the man and the rupees out. You can collect the rupees while the man rolls about with every indication that he's broken his leg.** You can actually '''kill''' Sakon once he's stolen the bomb bag by shooting it with a bow (setting off the bombs), as opposed to the less psychotic option of stealing it back.** When wearing the Captain's Hat, the Stalfos will recognize you as their captain and await their next order loyally. They're technically still enemies, however, and you can slice them with your sword, essentially killing your own troops.** At a certain time of day, there's a bit where Anju will confuse you for a guest (whom she's never met and who has a similar name to yours) with a pre-existing reservation. You can steal the dude's reservation and the money he's got in his room, leaving him minus 100 rupees and stuck in the cold for the night.* VideoGameRemake: In the vein of ''Ocarina of Time 3D', released February 2015 alongside the New 3DS, and [[TechDemoGame makes use of several of the New 3DS' features.]]* VoluntaryShapeshifting: The mask transformations.* WaterSourceTampering: Woodfall's water is poisoned to the point of it having a purple hue to it.* WeaponTombstone: A variation occurs when Link constructs a gravestone for Mikau out of his ''guitar''.* WeirdMoon: [[ColonyDrop Among other oddities,]] the Moon has a face on it. As for what's ''inside'' the Moon... [[spoiler: A meadow with a WorldTree in the center, surrounded by five seriously [[CreepyChild creepy children]], four of whom play a potentially lethal game of hide-and-seek for masks. The fifth one represents [[BigBad Majora]] and basically thinks that the FinalBoss battle is a game of cops and robbers.]]* WeirdnessCensor:** Tingle! You see him in Clock Town and in all four cardinal directions. You see him in the area of a poisoned swamp and a tree enveloped in bats. You see him in the middle of a horrible blizzard, surrounded by Wolfos. You see him above a murky ocean. Yeah, okay. But you also see him in the canyon of the dead, with big lumbering mummy-like Gibdos all over the place. And he lets it all pass ''without comment.'' What makes this even odder is that the weirdness censor is averted by the Deku Nut salesmen, who are ''quite'' aware of their environment, including the one in the canyon who offers to sell you a blue potion to save you from being cursed by Blue Bubbles. It's pretty clear that Tingle is a few beers short of a six-pack anyhow, so maybe he thinks he's off in La-La Land somewhere no matter how many horrible things are happening around him.** Absolutely ''nobody'' seems to notice that Link can [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight change between four different species]] [[GameplayAndStorySegregation right in front of them]].* WidgetSeries: Termina is a '''weird''' place. A few random examples:** Learning the other half of a lullaby from a baby so that you can get a giant invisible stone man to go to sleep and roll out of the way and stop breathing an icy wind.** Using different magical masks to become an entire musical quartet, and thus make someone cry, who is DrunkOnMilk.** Racing a creepy beaver with Kaleidoscope eyes so he'll give you his most prized possession: [[CommonplaceRare an empty bottle]].** Saving an old lady from a thief and being rewarded with a bomb that attaches to your face. Damage can be blocked by your shield (held a foot away).** Playing a lethal game of hide and seek with a group of anthropomorphic ancient beings, so that you can give them your masks.** Impersonating the fifty-foot skeletal captain of an undead army to make a group of undead soul-eaters do a silly dance.** Saving a (Zora) woman's unborn children so that she can get her voice back, then having said children hatch (Zoras lay eggs) in front of you, looking like tadpoles, and teaching you a song. ** Stuffing an anthropomorphic flower princess into a bottle so she can clear up a misunderstanding between her father and a ''monkey''.** Playing a marching melody which makes cucco chicks follow you and instantly grow up so that you can make a depressed guy happy.** Wearing a fox mask next to some dancing grass so that you can play a trivia game.** [[spoiler:A being full of world-destroying dark magic sprouts limbs, makes noises like a chicken, alternates between running around at high speed and performing various pop-culture dances, and thrashes around like a toddler throwing a tantrum when attacked.]]** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj53exPLs-Y This video tells at least a FIFTH of the weirdness you find!]]* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Skull Kid. A lonely, harmless little guy that is forced to ''destroy the world''!* WorldTree: There's one [[spoiler:inside the moon]], of all places.* YouShouldntKnowThisAlready: Three of the Ocarina songs are carried over from ''Ocarina of Time''[[note]]Song of Time, Epona's Song, and Song of Storms, in case you're wondering[[/note]], but don't do anything until you re-learn them. Justified with the song of time as you relearn it as soon as you get your Ocarina back. Until then you haven't had an instrument to play it on.* YourHeadASplode: The Blast Mask. It causes an explosion in front of Link, which can be blocked with his shield.----->► '''Ⓐ''' ▼ ► '''Ⓐ''' ▼\\Save and return to the Dawn of the First Day?\\'''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Yes]]''' / '''[[NonstandardGameOver No]]'''